Christian Doula Pregnancy & Birth Services in Asheville, and Western North Carolina…

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All birth experiences are unique, no two are alike, although some mothers of subsequent babies recognize similarities between births of their children. A Christian Birth is a birth experience which is completely unique and related to the Mother’s Faith walk.

It is an intentionally acknowledgement of the God-given blessing, and value of human life and of the familiy.

Recognition of the spiritual nature of conception, pregnancy and birth, and it’s significance.

Completely in trust and alignment with God and His will, trusting His design of the woman’s body to give birth.

Relying on God’s strength and comfort, whatever the circumstances.

Through the heart of her experiences and training, Willow strives to surround the mother and family with Godly love, fellowship, support, and encouragement, a gentle presence to remind them of the hope and purpose God has in their lives as they journey into parenthood for their first or 8th time.

Contact me: 828-676-9072 to arrange a meet & greet interview, and discover if Willow Christian Birth Services are right for you….

We’ve all been there….. The crying, fussing, irritability and “no body sleeps if baby isn’t sleeping” of a baby teething…Baltic Amber, worn as a necklace or anklet or bracelet can mean a big difference for most babies who naturally experience the pain of cutting those pearly whites. Not only does it work, but it’s a really cute hipster trending fashion for your baby that moms everywhere are swearing by,
So how does it work?

Amber is as old as time itself, an ancient remedy that is still boasted and bragged upon by modern alternative medicine practitioners today. It is known as a natural remedy for a variety of things including joint pain, arthritis, teething pain, and more…. It’s a natural analgesic alternative. Hippocrates (460-377 BC), father of medicine, in his works described medicinal properties and methods of application of Baltic amber that were later used by scientists until the Middle Ages. In ancient Rome Baltic amber was used as medicine and as a protection against different diseases. Calistratus famous physician of those times, wrote that amber protects from madness, powder of amber mixed with honey cures throat, ear and eye diseases and taken with water cures stomach illnesses. Pliny the Younger noted that Roman peasant women wore amber medallions not only as adornments, but also as a remedy for “swollen glands and sore throat and palate.” Persian scientist Ibn Sina (Avicenna) called amber remedy for many diseases. There was a belief in eastern countries that amber smoke strengthens human spirit and gives courage. In Asian countries “amber syrup”, a mixture of succinic acid and opium, was used as a tranquilizer and antispasmodic. It’s use continued by physicians through the Middle Ages and later into the present day 21st Century for various conditions. As late as before World War II, especially in Germany,Baltic amber beads were put on babies to make the eruption of teeth less painful and make the teeth grow stronger.

Baltic Amber contains succinic acid. A powerful anti oxidant that helps fight toxic free radicals and disruptions of the cardiac rhythm, succinic acid has been shown to stimulate neural system recovery and bolster the immune system, and help compensate for energy drain in the body and brain, boosting awareness, concentration and reflexes, and reducing stress. Baltic amber contains 3-8% of succinic acid, a scientifically examined medical substance used in contemporary medicine. The highest content of the acid is found in the amber cortex–the external layer of the stone. There is much documentation regarding the power of succinic acid. Albert The Great, born in 1193 who later became a Dominican monk, called Natural Baltic Amber “Succinium” and stated that it was the most effective medicine of the time followed by other substances such as ocastoreum, mors, camphor, tartarus, and aurum. People of that time also made amber tinctures from beer, wine and water and declared them effective against everything from stomach aches to rheumatism. Recent scientific research has also proved that succinic acid has a very positive influence on the human organism. It strengthens the body, improves immunity, the course of energy-related processes and the balance of acids. Succinic acid was analyzed by the pioneer of modern bacteriology, the Nobel Prize winner, Robert Kock (1886), who confirmed its positive influence and discovered that there is no risk of the accumulation of surplus amounts of succinic acid in the human organism, even after the introduction of considerable amounts into the body.

The benefits of Amber are great, and the countless recorded praises for its use in teething pain and joint paint speak for its usefulness. It’s natural, has no known side effects, and worked better for my kids than the homeopathic tablets, and other various options I tried. It works quickly and lasts as long as the baby continues to be exposed to the amber. I used both the necklaces and the anklets depending on the situation, and both worked great. Before using Baltic Amber my babies wouldn’t sleep through the night without Tylenol because of the pain caused by teething. They would fuss and cry often. When they were wearing their Amber necklace or anklet, I was amazed how much happier they were all the time and sleeping through the night so comfortably. Yay for tired mommy! I highly recommend trying Baltic Amber jewelry for your baby.

If you are interested, I recommend you check out your local mommy baby natural stores (I try to encourage shopping local)(Littlest Birds In Asheville, NC has them) or check out online : https://www.balticcreations.net This lady is a super sweet mama, who makes stunning Baltic Amber (she has made several for me) and natural healing gemstone jewelry. There are also additional sellers on Etsy. (Pictured below is from Baltic Creations)

With the rise of Shaken Baby Syndrome which kills on average 1-4 babies in the United States daily mortality and thousands injured yearly, I believe it is important for the birth support team and hospitals to acknowledge that not enough is being done to educate parents on how to prevent such tragic events. This is why more hospitals need Doula’s on staff, to help the parents in initial bonding and education of techniques or tricks on baby care and soothing… I believe a DOULA’s role isn’t just birth, but also in service of transitioning to parenthood..

Helping Baby Clay An Arden mother of four is using the power of social media to help another local mom and her son, through the power of prayer. It’s an effort going viral on Facebook for an infant still in a coma. The baby is a victim of Shaken Baby Syndrome. The page is called Prayers For A Hendersonville Baby Boy. It’s dedicated to 6-month-old Clay. His mother’s boyfriend, Justin Pate, was babysitting him and is charged with felony child abuse. Willow Arnold says she was heartbroken when she learned about the case and used Facebook to contact baby Clay’s family. She says social media is working. “The mother does see this, the family does, it really touches their heart to see the community crying out to them and saying, you know, we understand and we’re praying, ” said Willow Arnold. If you’d like to get involved with prayer or make a donation, click here.

Stranger rallies support for baby boy in coma

By Emily Weaver
Times-News Staff Writer

Published: Wednesday, August 7, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, August 6, 2013 at 9:32 p.m.

A mother of four in Arden is rallying prayer and community support for a baby boy who remains in a “persistent coma” at Mission Hospital. The man accused of putting him in the hospital remains in jail.

Justin Andrew Pate, 23, of Old White St. in Mountain Home has been charged with felony child abuse after a 5-month-old in his care was found unresponsive at a home on Dorado Lane July 10. The infant, Clay, was “in full cardiac arrest” when rescue personnel arrived. Clay remains in critical condition.

When Willow Arnold first saw the story, she felt compelled to help.

“I was really, deeply crushed,” she said. “You hear tragic things on the news all the time, but for some reason this was a story that God placed in my heart that made me reach out. I kept thinking, ‘is he OK? Is he OK?’”

Arnold, who is a mother to four children ranging in age from 1 to 7, felt her heart break for a family she had never met. Now she has become one of the family’s staunchest allies and its unofficial spokesperson, keeping a caring community up-to-date about Clay’s fight for survival.

“I just want to get people involved and aware and praying for this baby,” she said Tuesday. “The family and I believe in the power of prayer.”

Clay has beaten the odds so far, surviving when medical professionals have doubted his prognosis, but if he recovers, he has a long road ahead of him.

Arnold said Clay has been taken off of a ventilator and is now breathing on his own, but he remains in a “persistent coma.” Wrapped in a blanket, with socks over his feet and hands and a cap on his head to keep him warm, Clay has not been able to regulate his own body temperature.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen, but we’re praying for a miracle,” she said. “That’s all we can do.”

Investigators say that on July 10, Clay’s mother left him with her fiancé while she went to work. She never saw this coming, Arnold said.

“That particular day was tragic for Clay and his mother. Her life will never be the same and neither will that baby’s,” she said. “It’s just sad. I just can’t imagine what she’s going through… to see her baby in that state. She hasn’t left the baby’s side.”

Arnold said doctors have done just about all they can do and may soon send the baby home with caregivers, where he will remain in a coma until he wakes up or “the unthinkable happens” and he never wakes up.

Call to act

After the story was first reported, Arnold waited for updates on the baby’s condition, but nothing followed.

“For a period of about a week or two it just drove me crazy,” she said. “I decided to reach out to the family through the hospital.”

Arnold, who quilts lightweight blankets from home to create an extra income for her family, took a blanket to the hospital for baby Clay. The staff cited privacy laws and she was turned away with her gift, but she asked the nurses to let the family know that somebody cared and was praying for them.

A couple of days went by without a word. Arnold said she continued to pray and then decided to rally more prayers through Facebook. She created the page, “Prayers for Hendersonville Baby Boy,” on July 22 and built a few ads to promote the site.

Within 24 hours, nearly 200 people had liked the page. As of 6 p.m. Tuesday it had 589 followers. She said she was expecting 600 by the end of the week.

After the site was launched, Arnold said the family contacted her and she met with them two days later to give them the blanket.

With the family’s permission, she has posted photos of Clay and several updates about his condition on the site.

Arnold organized a prayer vigil, which was held at her church, The River Church in Asheville, on July 25. More than a dozen people signed up to attend. A nationwide prayer chain, she said, now reaches all the way to missionaries in Zimbabwe.

Becoming an advocate

“One baby every day dies from Shaken Baby Syndrome and thousands more are hospitalized,” Arnold said. She has researched the syndrome extensively since learning about Clay.

“The whole thing is heartbreaking, it really is,” she said. “I plan to keep pushing for advocacy in this area… I don’t think enough is being done.”

She added that there are hotlines parents can call if they get stressed out and don’t know how to quiet a baby who continues to cry. For a condition that robs so many infants of vibrant, healthy lives, she said, the syndrome can be “extremely preventable.”

With the support of sponsors, Arnold is hoping to have a float to honor Clay in the upcoming Apple Festival parade. She is seeking volunteers to help hand out fliers during the procession.

To volunteer, to help in the parade or to sponsor a float or fliers, contact Arnold through the Facebook page “Prayers for Hendersonville Baby Boy” or email Willow_arnold@aol.com.

During a planned home birth you’ll give birth in your home instead of in a hospital or birth center. You’ll be assisted during labor and delivery by a midwife or, in some cases, a doctor. During your prenatal care your health care provider will review a list of conditions during pregnancy and labor that would require treatment by a doctor and compromise the safety of a planned home birth. Your health care provider will also review the challenges that can occur during childbirth, how he or she — in comparison with a hospital — would handle them, and the possible health risks for you and your baby.

During labor, your health care provider will periodically —rather than continuously — monitor your temperature, pulse, blood pressure and your baby’s heart rate. After delivery, you’ll be close to your baby. Your health care provider will examine your newborn and determine whether he or she needs to be transferred to a hospital. In addition, your health care provider will give you information on how to care for your newborn. Follow-up care might include home visits and lactation support.

Why do women choose planned home births?

You might choose a planned home birth for many reasons, including:

A desire to give birth in a familiar, relaxing environment surrounded by people of your choice

A desire to wear your own clothes, take a shower or bath, eat, drink and move around freely during labor

A desire to control your labor position and/or other aspects of the birthing process

A desire to give birth without medical intervention such as pain medication

Cultural or religious norms or concerns

A history of fast labor

Lower cost

You can prepare for a planned home birth by:

Choosing a trained health care provider to assist. Choose a certified nurse-midwife, a certified midwife or a doctor who has a formal relationship with a health care system overseen by your state health department or the Joint Commission. Make sure he or she has easy access to consultation with doctors or specialists at a collaborating hospital, if necessary. If you’re interested in additional physical and emotional support, consider hiring a doula — a professional labor assistant.

Creating a birth plan. Where do you plan to experience labor and delivery? Will you use any specific methods, such as Lamaze, to cope with pain? Do you plan to have a water birth? Will you breast-feed your baby immediately after delivery? What other family members or support people will be present? Be sure to discuss the details of your birthing plan with your health care provider. Ask your health care provider what kind of supplies you’ll need to provide, such as towels, sheets or other protective coverings for your floor or mattress.

Preparing for a hospital transfer. Discuss with your health care provider the signs and symptoms that might necessitate going to a hospital and how a hospital transfer will affect your birthing plan. Ideally, your home or other planned birth location is within 15 minutes of a hospital with 24-hour maternity care. Make sure you have access to transportation. Ask your health care provider to make arrangements with a nearby hospital to ensure that you can be promptly transferred and treated, if necessary.

Choosing a pediatrician. Plan a medical exam for your baby within a few days of birth.

Arranging for postpartum help. After delivery, you might need help caring for yourself and your new baby. Arrange for family or friends to help. A doula can also provide postpartum support.

What else do I need to know about a planned home birth?

With careful planning, a home birth can be a positive and rewarding experience. Keep in mind, however, that life-threatening problems can occur during labor and delivery without warning. In those cases, the need to transfer you and your baby to a hospital could delay care, which could put your lives at risk. Understanding the risks and benefits of a home birth can help you make an informed decision about how you plan to give birth.